The Imperial Guard (French: Garde Impériale) was the imperial guard formation of the French Imperial Army. Under the direct command of Napoleon, the formation expanded considerably over time and acted as his personal bodyguard and tactical reserve. The Imperial Guard was divided into a general staff and infantry, cavalry and artillery regiments along with battalions of sappers and marines. It distinguished between experienced veterans and less experienced members by being separated into three formations: the Old Guard, Middle Guard and Young Guard. The Young Guard was virtually annihilated in the Battle of Krasnoi during the French invasion of Russia.

History

The Guard had its origin in the Consular Guard (Garde des consuls), created on 28 November 1799 by the union of the Guard of the Directory (Garde du Directoire exécutif) and the Grenadiers of the Legislature (Grenadiers près de la Représentation nationale). These formations had for principal purpose the security of the executive and legislative branches of the French Republic and gathered a small number of soldiers, about a thousand. The Consular Guard changed its name to the Imperial Guard on 18 May 1804. Its headquarters were located at the Pentemont Abbey in Paris.

Napoleon took great care of his Guard, particularly the Old Guard. The Grenadiers of the Old Guard were known to complain in the presence of the Emperor, giving them the nickname Les Grognards, the Grumblers. The Guard received better pay, rations, quarters, and equipment, and all guardsmen ranked one grade higher than all non-Imperial Guard soldiers. Other French soldiers even referred to Napoleon's Imperial Guard as "the Immortals".

The Guard played a major part in the climax of the Battle of Waterloo. It was thrown into the battle at the last minute to salvage a victory for Napoleon. Completely outnumbered, it faced terrible fire from the Anglo-allied lines, and began to retreat. For the first (and only) time in its history the Middle Guard retreated without orders. At the sight of this, Napoleon's army lost all hope of victory. The Middle Guard broke completely but the Old Guard (and some of the Young Guard) battalions held their formation and secured the retreat of the remainder of the French Army before being almost annihilated by British and Prussian artillery fire and cavalry charges.

The phrase "La Garde meurt mais ne se rend pas! ("The Guard dies but does not surrender!") is generally attributed to General Pierre Cambronne. It has been suggested that this was in fact said by another general of the Guard, Claude-Étienne Michel, during their last stand at the Battle of Waterloo. The retort to a request to surrender may have been "La Garde meurt, elle ne se rend pas! ("The Guard dies, it does not surrender!"). Letters published in The Times in June 1932 record that it may have been said by General Michel.The Guard dies, it does not surrender. Cambronne surrenders, he does not dieD. H. Parry (c. 1900) Battle of the nineteenth century, Vol. 1, Cassell and Company: London. Waterloo

The Old Guard regiments were assigned to the Guard's 3rd Division, while the remainder of the Guard's foot regiments were assigned to the 1st and 2nd Divisions.

Numbers In 1804, the Guard numbered 8,000 men. By the time of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, it had swelled to just under 100,000 men. The Guard had its own artillery, infantry and cavalry components just like a normal army corps. The Old Guard was the elite within the wider Imperial Guard.

General Staff

Created soon after the creation of the Guard itself, the General Staff by 1806 included the four Colonel-Generals of the four divisions of the Guard, all Marshal of the Empire in field rank. It also included an Inspector of Reviews, a Commissioner of War, 24 aides-de-camp, and other specialist officers, NCOs, and privates.

Foot regiments The Old Guard regiments served in the 3rd Division of the Guard, while the rest of the foot regiments of the Guard served in the 1st and 2nd Divisions.

Old Guard

1st Regiment of Foot Grenadiers The 1st Regiment of Foot Grenadiers () was founded from the Consular Guard Grenadiers (), which had been formed from the Guards of the Directory. The battalion was made up of the Imperial French Army's most experienced and tallest men, and were essentially the army's most senior unit. One of two Imperial Guard battalions carried the Imperial Eagle into battle. After Napoleon's failure in the Invasion of Russia, only a few troops from the initial force remained, and the army had to be rebuilt using Peninsular War veterans. Napoleon himself, called them "The Immortals Of France".

2nd Regiment of Foot Grenadiers Raised in 1806 from veterans of the , the was a unit within the Middle Guard. This particular unit was disbanded in 1810 and was replaced by the so-called Dutch Grenadiers until in 1811, upon the upcoming invasion of Russia, the 2nd Regiment of Foot Grenadiers was reraised with 1,500 veteran soldiers. By 1813, the unit was designated to join the Old Guard as a reward of their long service in both Spain and Russia.

3rd Regiment of Foot Grenadiers

Originally raised as part of the Dutch Royal Guard when Louis Bonaparte, brother to Napoleon, was made King of Holland. In 1810 the unit was incorporated into the Imperial Guard within the Middle Guard as the 2nd Regiment of Foot Grenadiers (). It was disbanded 15 February 1813 after certain issues with staff and personnel, however was re-raised on 8 April 1815 to the replace the Fusilier-Grenadiers de la Garde Impériale. It was finally disbanded on 24 September 1815 after Napoleon's Second Abdication.

4th Regiment of Foot Grenadiers The was the last grenadier guard regiment to be raised. Created on 9 May 1815, it saw action at Ligny and Waterloo. It was disbanded on 24 September 1815.

Chasseurs

1st Regiment of Foot Chasseurs

Being the second in seniority within the Imperial Guard Infantry, the was one of the most respected regiments within the ; classed as part of the Old Guard.

2nd Regiment of Foot Chasseurs

Raised in 1806, the was disbanded in 1809 and re-raised in 1811 for the invasion of Russia. As part of the Middle Guard, they engaged in numerous battles and by 1813 they were finally raised to be part of the Old Guard.

3rd Regiment of Foot Chasseurs The briefly existed during the 100 days campaign after Napoleon's escape from Elba.

4th Regiment of Foot Chasseurs The was also raised during the 100 days campaign after Napoleon's escape from Elba.

Middle Guard

Fusiliers-Grenadiers The Fusiliers-Grenadiers were the second regiment of Fusiliers created on 15 December 1806 from the 1st battalions of the Grenadier and Chasseur Vélites, forming a regiment that was to be 1,800 men strong. Conscripts and men from the Compagnies de Reserve brought the new regiment up to four battalions of four companies each, 120 men per company. They were disbanded on 12 May 1814.

Fusiliers-Chasseurs The Fusiliers-Chasseurs were created on 19 October 1806 from the 1st battalions of the Vélites of the Grenadiers and Chasseurs of the Guard; the regiment was to be 1,200 men strong. Men of the Compagnies de Reserve were added to bring the regiment up to four battalions of four companies each, 120 men to a company. In 1813, each battalion was enlarged by two more companies. They were disbanded on 12 May 1814.

Young Guard

Tirailleurs-Grenadiers The first regiment to become known as the Young Guard, Tirailleurs Grenadiers () were raised in 1809 from conscripts, but they had to be able to read and write. A second regiment was formed later in the same year. In 1810 both were renamed & .

Tirailleurs-Chasseurs

Two regiments of Tirailleurs-Chasseurs were formed at the same time as the Tirailleurs-Grenadiers, and were also included in the Young Guard. For the 1812 campaign in Russia these were expanded to six regiments. Both became & in 1811.

During the 1813–14 campaigns the number of was increased to sixteen although they rarely equaled the regiments of the Young Guard of 1811. The 7th, 8th and 9th were recruited from the 'Pupilles de la Garde', childsoldiers who were to become Napoleon's son's guard and who stayed in France during the Napoleon's invasion of Russia.

Voltigeurs

Created from the Tirailleurs-Chasseurs in late 1810, the Regiments de Voltigeurs de la Garde Impériale became one of the largest corps in the Guard, eventually absorbing the Regiments de Conscrits-Chasseurs to number sixteen regiments by 1814. The 14e Régiment de Voltigeurs de la Garde Impériale was created from the Spanish volunteers that retreated with the French Army, and the Régiment de Voltigeurs de la Garde Royale Espagnol.

Conscripts-Grenadiers Created in 1809, the two Conscripts-Grenadiers Regiments (Régiment de Conscrit-Grenadiers), though intended to provide a reserve for the Young Guard, were not included in the Guard, receiving line infantry pay. The regiments became 3e & 4e Régiment de Tirailleurs de la Garde Impériale in 1810.

Conscripts-Chasseurs

Created in 1809, the Conscripts-Chasseurs Regiment though intended to provide a reserve for the Young Guard, was not included in the guard, receiving line infantry pay. After 1811, the Conscrits-Chasseurs formed the 3rd and 4th regiments of the Voltigeurs of the Guard.

National Guard Regiment of the Guard This regiment was created from the National Guard companies of the northern departments of France. The regiment was organized according to the line infantry tables, and in 1813 was renamed the 7th Regiment of Voltigeurs.

Flanqueur Grenadiers and Chasseurs In preparation for the invasion of Russia, Napoleon ordered a further creation of units for the Guard that included Régiment de Flanqueurs-Grenadiers de la Garde Impériale and Flanqueur-Chasseurs Regiment (Régiment de Flanqueurs-Chasseurs de la Garde Impériale).

Cavalry regiments

The Imperial Guard cavalry constituted a corps in itself and had its own commander, with seasoned cavalrymen like Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières and generals Frédéric Henri Walther or Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty successively at its helm. Augustin Daniel Belliard was also interim commander for a few days in 1814, before giving command to Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta, who held it for a short while, until Napoleon's abdication in April 1814. During the Hundred Days, there was no overall commander of the Guard cavalry, with command divided between Charles, comte Lefebvre-Desnouettes (light cavalry division) and Claude-Étienne Guyot (heavy cavalry division).

Horse Grenadiers

The Horse Grenadiers was the senior cavalry regiment of the Guard, and originated from the Consular Guard. Classed as heavy cavalry, the regiment did not wear a cuirass, but was known for its distinctive bearskin head-dress and black horses. It was known by the nickname of "the Gods"; also as "the Big Heels".

Chasseurs à Cheval

The Regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval (1er Régiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval de la Garde Impériale) was also created from the Consular Guard, and ranked second in seniority, although it was a light cavalry regiment. It was the Chasseurs that usually provided personal escort to Napoleon, and he often wore the uniform of the regiment in recognition of this service. The regiment was not only known for its lavish uniform, but its combat history, as well. A second regiment (2e Régiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval de la Garde Impériale) was created briefly from Regiment d'Eclaireurs Lanciers in 1815.

Empress' Dragoons